Tourism and Hospitality: Coordinating Operations
Tourism and hospitality are one of the biggest sectors which are growing at a tremendous rate globally. Every country promotes its culture, history, people, monuments through tourism which further creates businesses like hotel chains, tour operators, resorts, transportation companies etc. A lot of tourism companies provide the best of facilities but what really set the best apart are their services and operations. This is because no matter how lavish and expensive the infrastructure is, the operations and services at the human touch point is the most important aspect which influences existing, returning and prospective customers.
Tourism is a services based industry where customers are attracted to luxurious services as they are willing pay a little extra for relaxation, sight-seeing and to break out from their routine lifestyle. Hence, customers expect a certain comfort level and friendly atmosphere from the organizations. Thus, for a tourism and hospitality industry, their operations become their marketing through a word of mouth.
Tourism companies need to have an excellent networking coordination with all the entities involved in providing the service. Coordination must exist between the tour operator, airline or railway agent, transportation company, hotels, local guides etc. Tour operators must also be prepared for seasonal variation and special events where the number of tourists arriving at particular destinations varies with time.
Every experience which a customer undergoes while preparing for a vacation or an outdoor activity changes his perspective for the tourism company. Various services are provided by tourism companies which leave an impression on the customer. Some features which people evaluate are brochure detailing, office ambience, itinerary flexibility, visa documentation etc. At the preparation level, these things are important as it gives the customers various options for destinations and it also reduces the burden of running around for the preparation of a vacation. Having employees with good understanding of customer needs and communication skills adds to the quality of services and creates a positive impression on the customer.
Customers look out for special packages for events like wedding, family vacations, business trips, honeymoon etc. Thus tour operators should have strong and flexible relations with visa agents, railways and airlines etc so as to give the best deal to the customer.
The responsibility of the organization of providing a quality service begins there. It has to make sure that future events also have a quality service for their customers. Customers look out of high quality services like pickup services, where a customer expects the chauffeur to be well mannered, have a pleasing personality etc. Thus, managing their operations in terms of arrival of the customer, coordinating with the hotels and resorts etc becomes the duty of the organization. Any delay or operational flaw would create a negative impact on the mind of the customer. Even guided tours for sightseeing and various places of interest are promoted professionally by tour operators.
Economies of nations like Thailand, Malaysia and Switzerland are mainly dependent on tourism. The citizens themselves form a part of the operations as they show respect and dignity towards visiting tourists. Any bad occurrence would lead to a bad word of mouth.
Thus for any organization to taste success in tourism and hospitality industry should manage its operations effectively and efficiently through coordination, just in time services and managing resources.
